The Good Grandson of the Red Chamber

Chapter 126 Decisive Measures: No Reporting to Higher Levels

At this time, many officials and enthusiasts were watching the Third Prince's actions closely.

This third prince was able to recover 200,000 taels of silver from the Prince Yihe's mansion; he must not be treated like a child.

They wanted to see what other tricks this third prince had up his sleeve.

However, for the next three days, the third prince made no move.

No one even saw him leave the mansion.

Everyone was wondering what the Third Prince was really up to.

At this moment, Xia Chengzong was helping ten accountants check their accounts in the mansion.

They brought back a great many accounts; it would probably take several months to sort them all out.

Xia Chengzong naturally couldn't wait that long, so he had someone do a rough investigation first.

Then they discovered an official whose accounts had huge loopholes; this person was the head of the Ministry of Revenue.

The official rank is sixth grade, and the main responsibilities are document processing, local financial management and special affairs.

However, this person deceived his superiors and colluded with warehouse clerks, resulting in many discrepancies in the accounts.

Next, Xia Chengzong personally led ten accountants to inspect his accounts.

At first, the ten accountants were indifferent to the prince's offer of help.

There is a sequence of hearing the truth, and there is a specialization in the surgery industry.

No matter how clever a prince is, even if he invents the most advanced auditing method, he is still completely unfamiliar with the field.

In terms of examining accounts and calculating figures, could Your Highness possibly be any better than them?

They felt that the prince's arrival to help was purely to cause trouble.

However, they soon realized that they had been short-sighted.

So there really are geniuses in this world!

Prince Ping'an was a man of exceptional talent, able to read ten lines at a glance and possess a photographic memory. He could spot any falsified entries in the ledgers at a glance.

He could answer the numbers inside just by opening his mouth.

At first, these accountants were unconvinced, not believing that anyone in the world could calculate so quickly.

They checked the calculations five or six times, and each time they were accurate, which finally convinced the accountants completely.

Next, the prince looked at the account books and pointed out any discrepancies he encountered.

Ten accountants were responsible for recording and organizing the information.

However, even one person's record couldn't keep up with the prince's speed.

It takes four or five people taking notes at the same time to keep up.

These professional accountants could only do things like record-keeping and organizing, assisting the prince in checking accounts.

In terms of professional skills, they were completely outmatched by this ten-year-old prince.

In the end, they clarified the accounts of this Ministry of Revenue official in just three days.

In just five years, this official in charge of the Ministry of Revenue embezzled as much as 170,000 taels of silver.

It is said that a clean prefect can earn 100,000 taels of silver in three years.

This official in charge of the Ministry of Revenue is no slouch either! He embezzled as much as 170,000 taels of silver in five years.

This truly exemplifies the case of a low-ranking official with enormous corruption; even Xia Chengzong was shocked by the figure.

Of course, these are just the results found in the accounts.

More detailed evidence is needed to convict him.

However, Xia Chengzong was not prepared to continue the investigation.

This was beyond his job responsibilities, and he would never do something so thankless.

Next, Xia Chengzong ordered ten accountants to continue checking the accounts of other people.

He took the compiled data and headed straight for the palace.

Soon, he entered the Eastern Palace and requested an audience with Emperor Hengchang.

In the study, after Xia Chengzong bowed, he said, "Father, when I was checking the accounts, I discovered that the head of the Ministry of Revenue had embezzled 170,000 taels of silver over five years."

"Your subject dares not act on his own initiative, and has come to report to Your Majesty for a decision."

"What? A mere clerk in the Ministry of Revenue embezzled 170,000 taels of silver in just five years?"

This news was hard for Emperor Hengchang to believe, and he couldn't help but ask, "Zong-ge'er, has this matter been verified?"

Xia Chengzong nodded and said, "Father, the ten accountants checked for three whole days and there were no further mistakes."

"These are the problematic accounts that have been discovered. Please take a look, Father."

Xia Chengzong showed the account books he had copied to Emperor Yonglong.

Each of these accounts was the result of cross-referencing several ledgers.

It was as obvious as a louse on a monk's head, leaving no room for escape.

Even if Emperor Hengchang didn't understand account books, he could still understand them.

After glancing through the accounts, he became furious.

"Heh, a mere sixth-rank official, yet so embezzling—he truly deserves to die!"

"Well, now that we have solid evidence, we can take him down."

"Alright, come with me to see your royal grandfather."

Although taking down a sixth-rank official is not a big deal, it still requires the permission of the retired emperor.

This made Emperor Hengchang feel extremely frustrated as emperor.

Before long, the father and son arrived at the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

Upon meeting the retired emperor, after showing him the account books he had discovered, the retired emperor remained calm.

He instructed, "Now that concrete evidence of his embezzlement has been found, let the Embroidered Uniform Guard investigate. After they have gathered detailed evidence, the Ministry of Justice will determine the crime."

This case could have been directly handed over to the Ministry of Justice for trial.

However, when the Ministry of Justice investigates a case, it is highly likely that the matter will be downplayed, resulting in a lenient punishment and a hasty conclusion.

Sending the Embroidered Uniform Guard to investigate would be a different story; the Embroidered Uniform Guard was originally a tool in the Emperor's hand.

In order to safeguard their power, they wished they could turn every case they handled into a major case.

There will be absolutely no cover-up.

After giving the order, the retired emperor said with satisfaction, "Zong-ge'er, in just a few days you have been able to find out a corrupt official."

"It's clear you've put your heart into it. Now, just go ahead and investigate with confidence. Your grandfather will fully support you."

Xia Chengzong laughed and said, "That would be perfect, Your Majesty. When we confiscate their mansions, could we use the confiscated silver to pay off the national treasury's debts first?"

"Only in this way can I be confident in completing the task my father has given me!"

These words made both the retired emperor and Emperor Hengchang laugh.

The retired emperor said, "Alright, then let's pay off the debts first, and then put the rest into the treasury after the debts are paid off."

In fact, all the silver will eventually go into the national treasury.

However, the accounts are completely different.

If Xia Chengzong hadn't said that, he certainly wouldn't have returned the debt first.

This debt will become a bad debt.

For the Ministry of Revenue, there was no difference.

But it was different for Xia Chengzong; if he didn't pay off the debt first, he wouldn't get any credit.

With such detailed ledgers, the Embroidered Uniform Guard could investigate cases with swift and decisive action.

In Chapters 127 and 128, within three days, the head of the Ministry of Revenue was arrested and imprisoned.

His residence was sealed off, and his property was seized.

Xia Chengzong then led his men to the mansion, counted out 76,000 taels of silver, and returned it to the national treasury.

At this point, he recovered another debt.

This one instance of tactic alone has terrified countless officials.

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